Routine
by TynxCann
Summary: This was Kageyama Tobio, this was his routine, and he wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of it.
1. Chapter 1

He had a routine.

He'd wake up, yawn and stretch his body in bed before pulling the covers away from his body and dragging himself towards the bathroom.

He'd take a quick shower, brush his teeth and make himself look presentable as the dull look in his eyes quickly turned into a fiery passion.

He'd come out of the bathroom and back into his room, changing into his highschool uniform and brushing his hair flat, making sure the fringe on his forhead was perfect without a single strand out of place. He'd pack his bag with all the necessary items: books, paper, pencils, pens, cellphone, etc. The bag was slung over his shoulder before looking in the mirror, making sure nothing was out of place. Especially making sure that his jacket was at the correct lenght to cover his lower body.

He'd nod to himself in the mirror, quickly turning away and hurrying downstairs, ignoring the pain that pulsated near his lower back.

He'd go downstairs, into the dining room where a box of cereal and a bowl full of milk laid on the table. Beside it a note that said "I'm going to be late today. Go to your father's." He cringed, crumpling up the note and throwing it into the trash can; dumping the milk into the sink and placing the box of cereal back into the pantry. Qucikly grabbing a granola bar and a small box of juice.

He'd hurry out of his home, locking the door and running down the streets to his school. It wasn't very far, but knowing that one guy, he definitely wanted to get there before he did.

The morning was cool and fresh, a slight breeze blowing in from the north as it tried to pull his scarf along with it. Summer was quickly changing to aututmn within a matter of weeks; but he didn't care, all he wanted to do was play volleyball. Even if he had the cold nip on the side of his cheeks, turning them a deep red. It only helped with numbing the pain that bore at his sides.

When he'd reach school, he would always hear tires screeching behind him, along with the desperate cries of a familiar red-head. Of course, it was him. There was a hill that the students needed to clear before reaching the scool, and this idiot always had to come in bike, never considering the speed he would go on the hills slope.

There was a yell and more curses before hearing a loud thump and a groan.

He'd turn around and scowl at the numbskull before him before turning away and walking towards the entrance to the school. Ignoring the red-head's plea to help him with his bike.

He would, if only his arms didn't ache and cracked under pressure.

If only he remebered to do what he was supposed to do, then maybe he wouldn't have been in this mess. Practice was going to be hell.

Class was the same. It was boring and uneventful. Nothing but lectures and useless information crammed into your skull, unecessary for anyone's future. He pretended to listen, but only ignored the teacher as he stared out the window, mind wandering to what he was going to make for supper tonight

Pasta? or hamburgers? What about soup? No, he didn't have the time, maybe ramen or something from outside. He didn't have the will to try and cook today.

The bell would ring and he'd immediately stand up. Shoving his things into his bag he and the red-head would make eye-contact before scurrying out of the classroom and towards the gym where all the other memebrs were waiting for practice.

He'd first go to the club room, change into his uniform at lightning speed, making sure no one saw him before speeding out before the red-head and towards the gym.

They'd practice and fall and yell and cheer and do all sorts of things before the coach blew the whistle, signaling that practice was finally over.

He'd groan and pant. Body aching and crying under every move he made. His back felt like a thousand needles were stabbing him. Lave burned his sking with every move and muscles spasmed and itched. It was painful, but he had to get over it.

The coach said a few words with the teacher telling them to get a good night's rest since tomorrow in the morning they were going to have a special meet up with all the other powerhouse schools they knew. Nekoma, Date Tech, Aobajousai, Fukurodani, Johzenji, and much more.

He nodded, and said his goodbyes, telling the team that today he had to hurry and get home.

They say their goodbyes, oblivious to the hand that pressed into his lower back. Maybe he pulled something, or he was just tired. This was him they were talking about, there's no way anything was wrong with him, right?

He packed his things and hurried home, going in the opposite direction from when he came to school. His mom and dad were divorced, choosing to live with his mom, but sometime's having to go with his dad on days like this. She was never home, he was never home, it was always the same, his dad was just a special case.

Entering the crumbled and smelly apartment he immediately tensed as he saw someone leaning against the wall.

He was home, but he was usually never home. He was here for that.

His father noticed him and smiled, standing up and wiping his face with his sleeve, placing the empty bottle on the table.

Words were said, things were yelled, but in the end, that man won.

He got what he needed, crumpled up the bills into his pocket and gave his son a wave before stepping out of the apartment and towards the "bad" side of town.

He groaned and sniffled. Tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He laid on the floor, limbs twitching and left eye pulsating. His back had finally become numb. There was a good chance that the bumb was even bigger and purple. It must have spread upwards as his middle back arched when he tried to relax on the ground. He was sure that the bruise on his face was going to turn purple, showing that ugly side of him to his teammates and rivals. Maybe he should have just given him the money without a fight. Now how was he going to expalin this to his teammates?

He'd just lie. He feel, he tripped, he something.

They didn't have to know.

Because if they did, then they would pity him, and those people would take him away from his teammates.

He didn't want to leave. He was okay. He only had two years to deal with this, only two years of highschool before he was finally home free.

It was okay, it was okay, he was okay.

Because he was Kageyama Tobio.

And this was his routine.


	2. Chapter 2

On this morning Kageyama awoke with the sun shining on his face and the smell of alcohol clogging up his nose. He blinked his eyes several times, trying to get the morning dirt and the morning sun out of his eyes. A heavy pain throbbed from his middle and lower backside; possibly a million needles stabbing him with the intent to kill.

He groaned and sighed, hummed and clicked his tongue. Rolling over two times so he was facing the wooden floor, cautiously beginning to push his body from the floor. It was painful and much more work than it needed to be; his body shook like wet a dog in winter, and his legs buckled below him from the uncomfortable position he slept in. The veins around his bruised eye pulsated, twitching and throbbing around a large ball of purple which was his eye. Tears fell but he ignored them and the salty taste that came into his mouth; it was time to get up.

Finally standing up, Kageyama look down at the floor and realized that for five hours he slept in the entryway that connected the kitchen/dining room to the hallway. There was crease that separated both parts of the apartment, and he just had the pleasure of laying his swollen back against that for five hours straight.

Great, more reasons to hate himself and all the stupid things he does. Maybe he's unconsciously trying to destroy his back and any chance of having a future. Maybe then his mom will finally look at him.

Sighing once again Kageyama gave the crease a quick glare before turning away and gliding towards the bathroom. Although it was a Saturday morning his team had a practice meeting/match/ let-the-other-team-spy-on-us thing where all teams they've battle or met so far come together so they could get to know one another and learn new moves from each other, and blah, blah, blah. Takeda and the coach just kept spewing things about learning, and getting along and stuff; he was surprised he didn't sleep throughout their speech.

Oh well, as long as it involves volleyball he's okay with it.

Reaching the bathroom Kageyama went to grab the doorknob, but was immediately frozen on spot by the sound of someone lurching on the opposite side of the door.

His blood ran cold, eyes dilated and body shook with terrible tremors that could rival any earthquake.

He was home early, way too early for his liking.

Pulling back his hand Kageyama took a few steps back, accidentally tripping over his feet and falling on his butt. He ignored the pain; eyes darting forward at the door handle which shook before being pulled back to reveal the very human being that brought him nightmares.

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but only seconds.

Kageyama bit the inside of his cheek to stop the cries from slipping through his mouth; the man smiled and stepped closer to his son.

He leaned down and whispered something into his son's ear, a slight chill creeping up the setter's back.

The man stood and patted Kageyama on the back and strode down the hallway, towards the entryway where he wouldn't be seen him for another day or two.

The door was slammed shut and the apartment fell silent. Only the heavy breathing of one petrified volleyball player could be heard.

* * *

After his slight encounter with his father, Kageyama rushed throughout the house, trying to get ready as humanly possible.

He brushed his hair, his teeth, packed his bag and made himself look presentable. He didn't eat breakfast, ignoring the grumbling of his stomach and instead slamming the door behind him as his feet patted through the gravel towards the school grounds.

He barely made it in time, but was happy to see that his teammates waited a couple minutes before leaving him.

They were really too good for him.

"Hey Kageyama, where were you? You're late," asked Tanaka, hands waving at Kageyama as he got inside the bus. The 2nd year gave Kageyama a quick look before darting forward in his seat and alerting the whole bus of a dire predicament. "What the hell happened to your eye?!" shrieked the male.

After hearing that the whole team- or probably the whole world- turned to look at Kageyama who was sweating bullets from all the attention he was suddenly getting. After laying their sights on Kageyama half of the team began pestering their first year setter about what happened to his eye, while the other half (Tsukishima) began teasing him for being stupid enough to get a black eye on a very important day.

Tsukishima commented by saying that he expected Hinata to be the one get screwed over, not Kageyama. Cue in a whining Hinata and a nervous Yamaguchi who was trying to break up the fight. Nishinoya tried to reassure Kageyama, along with Asahi who only rambled on and on about unimportant things. Daichi sighed and tried asking for answers, Tanaka sat back and laughed, and mama- I mean, Sugawara stepped forward to carefully investigate his eye. Coach Ukai told him to be more careful next time, Shimizu brought over the first-aid while Hitoka panicked, and Takeda-sensei tried helping by applying ice to the bruise.

All in all, chaos erupted throughout the bus, which originally brought the team's scheduled departure to be pulled back. Inevitably making Karasuno over thirty minutes late to their match/meeting/ whatever the hell this was.

A huge lump stuck in the back of Kageyama's throat because of this.

"But seriously, how did you get that bruise? It looks really painful," stated Tanaka, finally getting over his fit of laughter.

"Heh, I bet the king tripped over his feet and fell," teased Tsukishima.

"Don't worry Kageyama, I do that all the time!" yelled the red-head, failing in trying to reassure hos raven-haired partner.

"Did someone do this to you?" asked Sugawara. Out of all of them he was closest to the million dollar prize. It wasn't a surprise that he was spot on; Sugawara was the one who looked out for the team the most, so it would be obvious that he'd have a keen eye for things such as his team and things involving their health.

Swallowing the lump in his throat Kageyama opened his mouth to say a few words, to say those words which would finally free him of this never ending nightmare. To say those words that would save him and finally make him a free man.

He opened his mouth and said "I didn't watch where I was going and hit a pole," before closing it and feel that same lump lodge in his throat.

Everyone accepted Kageyama's excuse and sat down.

Kageyama sat down as well, with his body slouched forward and feet tapping erratically at the floor. He bit his lower as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Only one thought ran through his mind, and that was "_why didn't I tell them?_"


	3. Chapter 3

There was silence and chaos on the bus.

Silence because half of the teammates were leaning against the cool glass of the window. Their eyes trying to flutter open and stay awake on the smooth bus ride. Hot breaths lingered against the glass making it fog up and block their vision of the outside world. Some fought until the end, not wanting to give in to sleep and be the source of another prank that involved marker all over their face. The others lost the battle; Tsukishima was already snickering in delight as he uncapped the marker and began instructing Yamaguchi to follow along and draw a little mustache along Tanaka's face.

Chaos because of Hinata. Although it was established that the red-head wasn't as nervous about matches and such after having a little talk with Kageyama and a few encouraging words from his team, that still didn't change the fact that when meeting other powerhouse schools, he couldn't help but feel a little rumble in his stomach. Instead of sitting in his seat and panicking, he traveled all over the bus, speaking with other teammates and hoping their words could calm his nerves down a little before arriving to their destination.

Tsukishima only made it worse with a few side comments, Nishinoya was also drawing in Tanaka's face, Sugawara and Daichi were careful with what they said since their words could either help or destroy their teammate.

Kageyama sat in the middle section of the bus, simply staring with dull eyes as Hinata wandered around a couple of times before being scolded for standing while the vehicle was moving. He gave the coach a quick bow and apology before sitting down at a random spot.

Coincidentally that was right beside Kageyama. The raven ignored the red-head and turned to stare outside the window. His backside still gave tiny shocks of pain when he shifted around his seat, and his eye throbbed uncontrollably. Frankly it was annoying and painful at the same time, but he didn't see any reason to complain as there were others who were in worse situations than him. It was only a slight bruise, nothing that time and treatment could heal.

After sitting in silence for several minutes with his rambunctious teammate the red-head noticed that the air was getting too thick and chose to cut it with a knife. A knife with a very dull blade.

"Hey Kageyama." It was a simple greeting, a conversation starter. "Did you really hit your face against a pole?" But it was also the stupidest question he could have ever asked. Either he was really dense, or just unaware of the glare Kageyama gave him when asked that question.

Silence followed until he finally opened his mouth. "Yeah."

A loud laugh erupted beside him. "Seriously? Poor Kageyama-kun, you should watch where you're going," grinned Hinata.

A vein popped on Kageyama's forehead, he instantly took Hinata's head in one hand and began crushing it under his strength.

"Owowowow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Not the iron claw!" shrieked Hinata. After prying Kageyama's hand away from his head the red-head scooted away from Kageyama and tried giving him an intimidating glare, which only did the opposite.

Kageyama almost smiled at how Hinata tried to look tough, but looked much cuter with that pout and suspicious eyes he gave.

Key word being Almost.

He was too scared to even give a smile out of fear for being seen as strange or crazy. It wasn't in his character to do such strange things, and if he started now who knows what his teammates might say behind his back. He didn't want to feel that pain anymore, so it was best to keep the mask on and his feeling lumped inside.

"You wanna go, huh? I'll take you on!" the red-head was now making odd hand gestures, probably something he copied from Tanaka.

Kageyama raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He turned to look back out the window and watch the scenery as it slowly disappeared behind him.

Silence was once again brought to the bus, along with a little chaos. Tanaka finally woke up and was now making a ruckus at the back. Daichi got up from his seat and began scolding his teammates and the coach sat at the front shaking his head with the teacher laughing at his students antics.

Hinata made himself comfortable in his seat and closed his eyes. Slowly, and very slowly his head drifted to the side and laid itself along Kageyama's shoulder.

Kageyama chose not to notice and dealt with the uncomfortable position. Even if his back felt broken, if it involved Hinata, he would deal with the pain and pretend he didn't notice anything.

It was a peaceful and chaotic ride.


	4. Chapter 4

After sitting in an uncomfortable position for what seemed like hours, Kageyama was finally able to give a sigh of relief as the bus finally came to a stop in front of a gymnasium. This was where the team, along with others from around the area, were going to have a some kind of practice match/meet-up/whatever the hell it was- the coach really didn't give the finest explanation on the topic, but that was most likely because he left before the coach even had the time to explain.

The occupants on the bus heaved and groaned, stretching their sore limbs from the long bus ride. The first to step out was Tanaka and Nishinoya, along with Hinata trailing behind.

Kageyama frowned when his only source of heat left him, but was at least glad that he didn't have to sit with an unbearable pain pulsing in his backside. Although, he did have to admit, Hinata's sleepy and drooling face was a sight he could never regret seeing.

Not that he'd say it out loud.

After the coach and Takeda-sensei stepped out of the bus they began by first herding the whole team together; Hinata and Nishinoya giving a whine about wanting to run around the place while Tsukishima murmured "idiots," under his breath. He explained some rules, guidelines, and notified them of several things before letting them run free and into the building where the other teams would be waiting.

Hinata was first to dash through the doors with the other following behind. Kageyama didn't have the energy to try and outrun Hinata; his back was telling him other things and his headache that bred throughout the bus ride was not helping at all. Somehow the outside felt hotter than what the news informed, but it probably just his imagination.

"Aren't you going to go in Kageyama?"

The raven was immediately snapped out of his trance by the unsurprising question. Turning around Kageyama noticed Takeda-sensei standing before him with a questioning look.

"Everyone already went inside," he informed.

Scanning the area Kageyama saw this to be true as it was only him and his teacher still standing outside in the cool air.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't notice." Giving his teacher a bow Kageyama sprinted towards the building, trying to seem as normal as possible without giving away the pain on his back.

Takeda frowned in confusion, but thought against the horrible things that spurred his mind. He was probably just out of it today, nothing much.

Kageyama entered the building and into the gym where his and other teams where greeting each other.

Hinata chatting with Kenma and Lev. Sugawara and Daichi talking with some other team's captain. Tsukishima trying to avoid Kuroo and others spreading chaos around the area.

He sighed.

He really didn't feel like playing today, which was a miracle since he usually had nothing else in mind but volleyball. Probably just the cold getting to him.

"Well, if it isn't my cute kouhai."

A voice that Kageyama dreaded cut through the room like a knife. Swirling to the side Kageyama frowned, spotting none other than Oikawa.

"Now don't give me that look, it makes you—whoa, whoa. What happened to your face Tobio?" Whatever comment he was going to make was stopped by a pair of eyes landing on his bruised face.

"Just hit a pole," growled Kageyama.

Oikawa burst into laughter. "Seriously?! Ha, who would have thought that you were capable of such things."

Somehow the way he spoke that sentence did not sit well with Kageyama. It sounded as if he were teasing him, in a non-friendly way.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kageyama.

"Nothing much, you just didn't seem like the pole-hitting type." Drapping his arm around Kageyama's shoulder he gave his younger a smile. "Although you were always out of it in junior high, such a brat, always whining about how much your body hurt. Such a cry baby."

Kageyama frowned and threw Oikawa away from him.

Ignoring any other comments made, Kageyama snuck away from his elder and towards Hinata who he believed would save him of any other human interactions. He stood wearily beside the smaller as he continued to make friends with the other players. Somehow the smiling face of the red-head made his stomach churn. Hinata didn't make that face when around Kageyama, and when he did, there were most likely other people in the room.

His chest suddenly felt heavy, the headache fell and rose like and array of mountains. His eye suddenly cracked in pain and a huge lump lodged itself in his throat. The room suddenly started spinning and all other occupants in the room turned blurry and faceless.

Nothing was recognizable.

Not the net, not the volleyballs, and especially not Hinata's smiling face.

His world turned dark in a matter of minutes; only the sound of his name being called before falling to the floor with a loud thud.

It all felt very familiar.

* * *

**There is going to be a slow development throughtout this story so don't expect things to go quickly. **

**That is all for now, thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon. I would really like it if you could comment on your thoughts so far, it would really mean a lot to me.**

**Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

It was quiet, almost too quiet.

His head throbbed with pain, almost as if a thousand needles were stabbing his head and injecting some kind of chemicals into his brain. The pain was sharp and quick, escalating and then dropping before reaching another high point and making Kageyama flinch in surprise. He grit his teeth and clutched his head as if it was his only way to support the pain. By now he was wide awake; the minutes, hours or amount of time he took sleeping was only able to control the headache for so long before it became intolerable and awoke him from his slumber.

It hurt.

It was painful.

It was familiar. It brought memories; ones that made him shudder and rub the corner of his eyes.

He groaned and sighed heavily, hoping that a bit of friction will calm down his headache, even if it was for only a second. He thought that sleep was supposed to make the headaches go away, not make them worse. Maybe this showed the extent of how badly he was messed up.

Another shock hit him; breaking his limits and making him sit up instantly. The headache fell and he breathed a sigh of relief. Rubbing his forehead one last time Kageyama deemed it safe enough to open his eyes and began scanning the area for his whereabouts.

The first thing he noticed was that he lay on a bed, a pure-white bed with a blue sheet that draped around his lap. The room was dark with the only light shining in through the hidden corners of the window's blinds. An orangey-yellow light streaked in, with several rays hitting his body, and thankfully missing his eyes. Kageyama rubbed his eyes and tried letting adjust to the room, but was stopped by the sudden noise that came from outside. The door to the room clicked open with the first-year manager, Yachi, entering while holding a medicine bottle.

"Ah, you're awake." Shaking the bottle she scurried over to Kageyama's side and placed a hand on his forehead.

"W-what happened?" he asked. The contents of his mind were still scrambled, any memories before waking up seemed blurry and out of place.

Pouring the contents of the medicine into a spoon Yachi held it out for Kageyama who opened his mouth and drank the sweet liquid. "You suddenly fainted in the gym when we got here. Every panicked and the coach brought you here to rest. It seemed that you had a fever and fainted because of that."

"Oh." Kageyama wanted to desperately hit himself. He fainted; he fainted in front of everyone and made himself look weak. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was supposed to be strong and in top shape; not weak with a fever.

"Everyone was really worried, especially Hinata, he was holding tightly onto your hand while yelling. It was cute." Yachi smiled and set the medicine bottle on the bedside table. "I'm going to go tell everyone that you woke up. Don't move from that spot, okay?" She commanded before stepping out of the room.

Kageyama nodded. Pulling the blue sheet up on his body he lay back down and turned in the opposite direction so he was facing the window. The room once again fell into silence and only the rays of light kept the room lit. The headache slowly dissipated and the pain that etched itself in his lower and middle backside seemed to have numbed itself. His eye no longer throbbed and any other feeling was gone making it as if he was healthy from any ailment.

Well, almost. It was still there, just hidden from all the medicine and rest he took.

Kageyama sighed and pulled the blanket closer to his face. It smelled like it was just out of the washer, nice and clean. He took a deep breath and snuggled closer into his sheets. His mind was getting blurry, making his eyelashes heavy and ready for another nap.

The room was silent, but was quickly overtaken by footsteps.

Sitting up in bed Kageyama gave a glare to the door that slammed open. He almost opened his mouth to yell at whoever dared interrupt his silence, but was stopped by a pair of hands wrapping around his neck. The words he was about to say fell silent, his mouth open in shock at what was happening. Heat radiated from the occupant and the smell of sweat reached his nose. Red hair tickled his face and a bit of the sweat licked his shirt and face making them wet. Kageyama sat frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Idiot," mumbled Hinata. He hugged Kageyama tighter and dug his face into the raven's neck.

Kageyama didn't hug back. Didn't move his body to comfort the smaller; simply uttering "you really are a dumbass," before the room fell into silence.


	6. Chapter 6

It only lasted ten seconds before Hinata deemed it safe enough to let go of Kageyama and come face to face with the disgusted look of the setter. Even though it was moments ago when they were hugging it out like their lives depended on it (mostly Hinata), Kageyama couldn't deny the fact that Hinata- the one who was dowsed in sweat from top to bottom- had shared some of his sweat and fumes with the setter; now making them both sweaty and smelly.

Kageyama's shirt was stained in the front with sweat from the other, and his face was wet as if a dog had tried to lick him clean, but done the opposite of what was intended.

All in all Kageyama wasn't very happy with this predicament and as a punishment decided to give Hinata's a quick hit that resounded through the empty room.

"You idiot, look what you did," he growled, holding the collar of his shirt and the wet spot away from his body.

"It was an accident, you don't have to hit me for it!" whined Hinata. He held the top of his head that was now sporting a bruise and gave fake crocodile tears to his taller friend. "Besides, you deserve it you turd!"

"What was that?" Not pleased with the nickname Hinata gave him Kageyama stood up from the bed, ignoring all other cries from his body, and strode towards Hinata.

"Well it's true! It's your fault for getting sick."

"I can't control something like that dumbass!"

"Well... it's still your fault." Biting his bottom lip Hinata turned to look in the other direction; his fists clenched and his nails dug into his skin. "You suddenly fainted and I didn't know what to do. I was so scared that I'd lose you, I just didn't know what to do."

Silence followed for several seconds before a sigh fell from Kageyama's lips. Rubbing the back of his neck he took another step forward with alerted Hinata, making him look up at the setter with confused eyes.

Kageyama ignored the little voice in the back of his head that encouraged him to do something elicit, and instead placed his hand on top of the red-head's hair. Hinata flinched at the contact but showed no signs of pulling away. Kageyama took this as a sign to continue and began patting the smaller's head. Rubbing the soft tuff of hair- going in circles, massaging his scalp, and simply laying it in the sweaty mess that no matter what continued to have its soft features. Almost like touching a cloud.

"I'm not going anywhere, it was just a fever," said Kageyama through the silence.

Hinata who had a tint of red on his cheeks nodded. "Good, because if you ever leave I'll tell Tanaka-senpai so he can drag you back!"

Kageyama wanted to laugh, but kept his straight face. "Yeah, I bet he'll just tie me up and literally drag me back."

Hinata who wasn't afraid to express his emotions giggled at the thought. That bright smile like sun once again grazed his face, making all other ill thoughts in the room disappear in thin air. The tension was immediately cut by the ray of light called Hinata's smile and for one second, Kageyama truly wished that this moment could last a life time.

"Kageyama are you-ah, you seem to be fine."

Their moment seemed to have been interrupted by Sugawara entering the room along with Daichi and Takeda-sensei. As soon as the three men spotted the first-years a serene smile fell on their face at the how close the bickering idiots were getting.

Kageyama noticed this and snatched his hand from Hinata's head; taking a few steps back in the process.

Hinata stood oblivious to everything and simply continued to smile.

"Kageyama, are you better now?" asked their teacher. "Does your head hurt? Is there still a fever?"

"No, I'm okay. I only needed to rest."

"But still, that sure was a surprise," interrupted Daichi. "Please be careful and try to take care of your body more, we don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Hinata's face fell and Sugawara noticed this. Stepping forward he tried to change the topic. "So are you hungry? You were asleep for a long time; Shimizu-san made us something to eat before going home."

Both first-years face lit up at the thought of food, their stomachs growling in unison.

"Well since it's obvious that you both are hungry, let's go down to the cafeteria and eat something."

Everyone in the room nodded and followed their teacher down to the cafeteria. Sugawara and Daichi chatting along the way with Kageyama and Hinata walking side by side in silence. The only thing noteworthy about them was the fact that Hinata glanced at Kageyama several times with the taller sticking closer than usual the rest of the way. They chose not to talk of what happened in the room and keep it as a secret.

Their own little secret.

* * *

Once the rest of the Karasuno team reached the cafeteria everyone waved at their sick teammate while asking a few questions here and there, but the raven only answered with one word sentences as his brain wasn't ready to process anything without a satisfied stomach. He and Hinata sat down at a table with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, ignoring anything snide comments the blond made, and ate the rest of the day away.

It seemed like all other teams left a while ago, only leaving Karasuno at the gym to have dinner before having to leave as well.

Hinata and Kageyama ate like crazy, Tsukishima stared disgusted at their unending appetite, and Yamaguchi tried to catch "Tsukki's" attention. Tanaka and Nishinoya were preaching Shimizu's wonderful cooking while Enoshita sighs at their antics. Asahi tries to control Nishinoya while Daichi tries to ignore his rowdy teammates and Sugawara laughs happily, commenting on how this is like a little family. Coach Ukai sits in the corner with Takeda, and Shimizu and Yachi sat at the other end talking with each other.

Everything seemed peaceful in terms of what happened on the bus, and Kageyama liked that.

After finishing their meal the team piled into the bus and rode in silence back home. The occasional snore and sleep-talk here and there. Mostly everyone was asleep and awaiting to reach the comfort of their homes.

Kageyama for once couldn't wait to go home, he simply wanted to fall into bed and have an eternal slumber that lasted for centuries. Thankfully today he didn't have to stay at his dad's and suffer through another night of dirty floors and smell of alcohol clogging up his nose. His dad took enough money to last a couple days in town; he probably wouldn't have been home anyways. Same concept with his mother, although she was rich and with a furnished house, she had work to deal with instead of taking care of her teenage son who she neglects on a daily basis.

Kageyama sighs and looks out the window.

Family. What a foreign word.

Karasuno. Mom. Dad.

Sugawara was right; Karasuno was more of a family than his actual parents. It was nice, it was comforting, and it was pleasant.

Sugawara can be the mom, Daichi the dad, Tanaka and Nishinoya the annoying uncles nobody liked, Asahi the uncle that got taken advantage of, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi the cousins, Shimizu his elder sister, Yachi was like a younger sister, Ukai and Takeda the grandparents. It was all one big happy family; plus, although Kageyama didn't want to admit, just for the sake of this one fantasy, Hinata was his sun.

He could have been his brother, his cousin, or anything else- but deep down inside he didn't want to be related to the red-head.

As much as Kageyama wanted a family, he also wanted a sun. So for just this time, Hinata was his sun and the rest of Karasuno was his family. Nothing else mattered but that.


	7. Chapter 7

He was frozen.

Stiff as cardboard and body numb. He felt like falling down and crying, hoping that the words that were uttered just seconds ago were only a lie; a false illusion conjured up by his sick mind that only lived to make him suffer. Those words weren't real; his hearing must have gone bad. It was probably the fever getting to him- he suddenly felt cold once again, his mind going hazy and body slightly shaking as Kageyama tried to gain control from becoming a sobbing mess.

It wasn't possible, this couldn't be happening.

"Kageyama, are you okay? I was just wondering if I could come to your house to inform your parents of what happened today, I believe they should know of their son's health."

It wasn't lie. It was real, so very real.

His teacher wanted to go to his house, the one place he hoped none would ever see. His teacher wanted to meet his parents, his mom and his dad. The very people who were supposed to love him, the very people who abandoned him since a child and given up on ever raising a child, much less a human being.

Days and days of sitting at home in darkness as he waited for either his father or mother- depending on whose house he was staying at. Staring at nothing but a blank ceiling with his body on the cold floor, or when lucky, on his bed at his mother's. Only silence filling the room and the occasional ticking of the clock from across the hall. His eyes would wander around the room, looking for something to keep him occupied, but found nothing. His room was filled with nothing. The living room at his father's house only had a single TV, nothing else.

There was nothing to keep him occupied. There was no one to keep him company. There was nothing to do. Nothing, but the silence.

His father, an alcoholic who abused his son when he felt like it; who took his son's money and used it to gamble for a couple bottles of beer. His father who was no longer his father, but a stranger he only saw rarely, always smiling and swaying all over the place. A glint always filled his eyes when he saw Kageyama, and another bruise always covered his body when he got what he needed.

He wasn't his father.

His mother, an elite woman who believed in nothing but money and work. She was never there, not since he was little, not since she got that promotion and forgot all about the son she had. She travels, she smiles in the pictures with her clients, and she shows them new patterns with bright colors and shades of different colors. The fabrics are cool or warm, soft and silky against the touch of his skin. There are buttons and zippers crowded around her office, and he can't help but be mesmerized by the displays and intricate designs.

She smiles when a new dress is made. She frowns when he walks into her office and asks her a question.

His mother is not his mother.

His teacher wants to meet his parents. His parents who are not his parents. His parents who might not be home, who are not home, who leave him alone. His parents who have abandoned their only child.

Kageyama's blood runs cold. He feels his mouth go dry and the words that rest on the top of his tongue go missing as he says nothing but bites his bottom lip anxiously. Takeda waits for an answer and he takes his time responding.

"Kageyama? Are you okay? You look pale." He leans forward resting his hand on Kageyama's forehead. "You seem a little warm."

The raven's eyes shoot up, shaking the hand away from his forehead. "I'm okay, just a bit sleepy."

His teacher doesn't question him. "Very well, but I would still like to meet your parents, if possible."

Kageyama blinks and tries to find the right words to help him in this situation. "My parents might be busy right now, since they work a lot- maybe another time!" He doesn't ask but pleads.

Takeda hums and sighs heavily. "Very well, but it would be nice to meet them sometime."

"Yeah." Their conversation end at that and the bus ride fall into silence.

Kageyama sighs and rests his head against the window. He feels sleepy, but keeps his eyes awake. The glass is cool against his skin and wonders if it will help cool his anxiety, even just a bit.

* * *

The door clicks open and Kageyama is greeted by a rare sight. His mom is in the living room, packing item into a suitcase and talking into a phone simultaneously. The person on the phone says something which makes his mother laugh. Her smile looks pleasant and Kageyama stares at it long enough to keep it engraved in his mind.

After a few seconds she spots him and immediately frowns in disgust.

"Hey I'm going to have to call you later, bye." She hangs up and puts the phone down, returning to folding her items into her suitcase.

Kageyama stands at the entranceway and continues to stare at his mother. She ignores him and continues to pack her things.

"Mom?"

She looks up for only a second before grabbing a shirt and folding it.

"Where are you going?"

She says nothing and rolls up two shirts.

"I fainted while in volleyball practice."

She sighs and zips up the suitcase.

"I might still have a fever so maybe yo can-!"

"Tobio," her voice sounds rough and demanding. Kageyama can't help but flinch and look up at her with pleading eyes. "It's been a long day, I have to go and catch my plane."

Saying nothing more she grabs the suitcase and rolls it towards the entrance. Kageyama steps to the side and watches his mother put on her shoes and a thin jacket. She glances back at her son for only a second before stepping out of the house.

"I love-!"

The door slams shut and Kageyama is left alone. He plays with the hem of his shirt and vaguely wonders if by turning on the air conditioner, the cold could numb the pain in his chest.

* * *

**Thoughts so far?**


	8. Chapter 8

Today Kageyama awoke to the sound of his cellphone ringing in his ears.

The ringing persisted for several seconds until he finally decided to stop ignoring it and check who was calling him on so early in the morning. He didn't checks the caller ID, instead pressing the answer button and moving the phone as far as way from his ear as possible. On the other line a loud dumbass screeched like a banshee about incoherent things.

"Kageyama! Wake up already, we have to go and-! Ah! Tsukishima let go of me!"

There was struggling on the other end with yells of anger from a red-head, and screams of excitement from Nishinoya. Asahi could be heard trying to calm down the smaller, with the usual commanding voice by Daichi who tried to keep everyone in check. Tanaka sounded far off, but if you listened closely, you could hear a threatening voice trying to intimidate some bystanders.

"Oi, King, hurry up already, I want to get away from these people as soon as possible!"

"You didn't have to come! Why did we invite you?!"

"Hey! I invited Tsukki!"

"Nishinoya, I don't want to watch something scary!"

"Come on Asahi, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Eh? You wanna fight?"

"Tanaka, stop that!"

It was complete and utter chaos. Kageyama couldn't comprehend what was happening, and didn't understand why his teammates were calling him at such a random moment. He had no recollection of ever agreeing to go somewhere with them; that is if his headache decided to erase some very important details.

Sighing he pressed his phone to his face and spoke. "So, what is it that you wanted me for?"

It took a while for someone to respond, but luckily Daichi was able to control everyone and continue on to other matters. Sugawara pried the phone from Tsukishima's and Hinata's hands and began talking. "Sorry about that, things are a bit hectic here."

"I could hear that," pointed out Kageyama.

"Yes so, we were just calling to make sure that you were coming to the movies or not, it's about to show in five minutes and you're still not here."

Yup, his headache just liked messing with his head and all the important things he stored in there. He still couldn't remember when he agreed to go to the movies, but since they are calling to remind him, then it is possible he agreed sometime a while ago.

Even if it did sound tempting to go to the movies and relax a bit, watch some action or horror with a tub of popcorn in his hands; his aching body had other ideas. Last night, after taking some medicine he immediately went off to bed and slept like a log until his team had to go and wake him up so early in the morning- even if it was eleven, Kageyama had a hard time sleeping last night. His headache may have disappeared, but the pain didn't seem like it was going anywhere anytime soon.

Besides, the movie was going to air in five minutes and he didn't want to make his teammates wait until the next session; it was better if he lied and decided to not go.

"Sorry senpai but I won't be able to go."

"Really? Why? We even choose that one movie you wanted to watch. You know that one horror movie."

Ah, Smiley, the new movie that just came out everyone has been raving about. Supposedly it's very scary and has a lot of dark and psychological scenes in it. Since Kageyama is a fan of horror and psychological stuff he's been talking about the movie for weeks and how he wanted to go watch it- with an adult of course, it was rated R.

"I don't feel good; I think my fever is still bad. You guys go without me, its okay."

"Are you sure?" The tone in Sugawara's voice sounded concerned. It was nearly impossible to lie to him- he was like a human-lie detector.

"I'm sure."

"Well okay, if you say so. Just stay home and rest, okay?"

A smile spread on Kageyama's face. Sugawara was always very concerned with his teammates, even being classified as a mother. It felt natural and calming to know that someone cared about his health.

"Okay," he responded.

Ending the call Kageyama flopped back down on his bed and groaned heavily into the sheets. The time was 11:30AM and Kageyama still didn't want to get up. His bed was soft and comfortable, almost like a cloud that just sucked him in. He didn't want to move a single inch, instead entangling himself in the softness of his sheets and wrapping his blanket around his legs while hugging one of the spare pillows. The sun was washing was in through the window that stood directly in front of him, but right now that wasn't a priority; the warmth was only lulling him to sleep.

After laying like that for what seemed like hours, Kageyama actually lost consciousness for a couple minutes before being awaken by the sound of his doorbell ringing.

He groaned into his pillow and threw and the sheets off of his body. The doorbell still continued to ring but he took his time, pacing himself as he walked down the stairs and towards the front door that was still being rung by his rude guest.

"Who could it be?" he wondered.

Not bothering to check the peephole, Kageyama simply opened the door and practically gasped at what he saw.

"Yo, we heard you weren't feeling well," said a smiling Tanaka.

Right there, in front of his house stood his teammates with equally smiling and annoyed looks on their faces (mostly Tsukishima).

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Since you didn't want to come to the movies, we decided to bring the movies to you!" answered Hinata; in his hands he held three horror movies. "Now move it, we have to go and prepare." Inviting himself in Hinata immediately made a beeline for the kitchen and bellowed for Tanaka and Nishinoya to hurry up with the popcorn.

"I only came since I had nothing better to do. Might as well check out the King's royal castle," snickering Tsukishima walked past Kageyama and made himself comfortable on the couch.

The raven sent the blond a simple glare before directing his attention to the rest of his team. Outside his door Sugawara still stood with a smile on his face.

"Did you do this?" asked Kageyama.

Sugawara nodded. "Without one of our members it isn't the same. Now come on, I heard Hinata rented Silent Hill, I never saw that one before so I'm hoping it's good." Entering his house Sugawara made his way to the kitchen to help the fumbling idiots with the popcorn.

Kageyama still stood in the entryway, shocked and a little happy with his current situation. Maybe today was going to be a really good day.

"Kageyama, how do you work this microwave?!"

"Dumbass, that's the oven!"

* * *

**Please inform me of any grammar mistakes and thank you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

It _was_ becoming a good day that is until Hinata almost destroyed his microwave.

"Who the hell puts popcorn still inside the box in the microwave?" demanded Kageyama.

"I don't know! I thought that by putting them all in we wouldn't have to waste time microwaving all the popcorn," answered Hinata.

"While still inside the box?"

"...Sometimes you just do crazy stuff without even thinking. Your body just moves accordingly to your priorities, and my priority was to microwave some popcorn 'cause I was so hungry."

"So you admit that you don't think?" bellowed Tsukishima from the living room.

"Shut up!"

Kageyama simply sighed and decided to ignore his arguing teammates and go back to microwaving the popcorn that Hinata almost ruined. Luckily he stopped the red-head from actually turning the machine on or else who knows what might have happened to his only source of heating food. The only good thing is that came out of this is that now he knows to never let that small ball of energy near a kitchen ever again; who knows what kind of chaos he'll cause.

"Hey Kageyama, where's the remote for the DVD player?"

"It should be near the bookshelf."

He heard the sound of feet pattering and war cries come from his living room before a very audible "I win," reached his ears. A slight smile grazed his lips just thinking about the battle for the remote his teammates were having in the living room. It was pretty funny and ridiculous once he actually simulated the whole thing in his mind, but he suddenly found himself realizing something.

Teammates? Shouldn't he consider them something more? All this time Kageyama has only been referring to them as his team, but somehow it doesn't seem right considering they hang out a lot more. Shouldn't he level up from being just teammates to something more like friends? Or very possibly that dusty word he hasn't used in forever- family.

They could quite possibly be his _actual_ family- although he does wish for that red-head to be something much different.

As much as he wanted to muse on this thought, right now wasn't the right time. Tanaka and Nishinoya were telling him to hurry up with the popcorn and Daichi just announced that the movie was starting. So with the speed of a hurricane Kageyama emptied the contents of the bag into a few bowls and had Sugawara help him hand them out before seating himself on the couch.

"What took you so long? Had second thoughts about giving food to peasants?" said the blond with a snide smirk on his face.

Kageyama gave his blond teammate (because he wasn't so sure if he wanted the tall teen as a family member) the tongue before directing his attention back to the flashing screen.

It seemed like- yes, they were going to watch Silent Hill the horror movie, and to make things even more exciting they even turned off the lights and shut the curtains to create a real movie theatre experience.

Daichi and Sugawara sat in the love seat that laid to the right of the TV; they both watched the movie expectantly as the beginning credits were rolling in. Tsukishima sat on the leather chair that was parallel to the love seat with a bored expression on his face and a fidgeting Yamaguchi sitting on the floor in front of him. Kageyama sat on one end of the couch that sat in front of the TV with a trembling Hinata besides him and a smiling Tanaka on the other end; his legs sprawled on top of both first-years thighs. Nishinoya sat in front of the TV, stuffing his face with popcorn while Asahi sat beside him with his hands covering his face in fear.

It was all one big get together and Kageyama couldn't help but feel excited with his team- I mean family sitting around him watching one of his favorite genre of movies. His mother or father wouldn't ever do this with him, let alone give him the time of day, but Karasuno was different, Karasuno was special.

As the movie continued on with much scary and frightening part starting to reveal themselves, some people in the room (Asahi and Hinata) began to hide themselves from the screen and behind the backs of their respective partners. Nishinoya told Asahi to man up and enjoy the special effects while Kageyama felt a bit of joy bubble up in his stomach.

Hinata held his shirt with a death grip, his fingers dug into his skin while his body trembled- he was practically sitting behind Kageyama. Only the tuff of his hair showed when he hid, and on rare occasions would he sneak a peek at the screen to only give a shriek of fear and hide once again behind the setter.

The raven's back may have bothered him with the uncomfortable way he was sitting and Hinata's knees digging into his lower back, but he once again endured the pain just for the small red-head.

"You were the one who chose the movie and you're afraid," stated Kageyama, trying to keep the annoyed tone in his voice.

"It's not my fault; Tanaka-senpai said we should choose a scary movie since that's what you like. I blame this all on your creepy love of horror movies," retorted the red-head. Another eep escaped his lips before hiding his face and almost knocking Kageyama off the couch.

"Watch it."

"Sorry."

Hinata tried adjusting himself to a much comfortable position, but while he was movie he accidentally looked at the screen and was surprised by a jump-scare from one of the monsters. He moved his body unconsciously out of fear and accidentally pushed Kageyama forward with him following suit; both teens fell on to the floor with a loud thump.

"Dumbass get off of me!" Kageyama was now in pain that was all his mind could comprehend with a heavy crow on top of his back and legs digging into the lower half.

"Sorry!" Hinata tried getting up was pushed down by a laughing Nishinoya.

"Dog pile!"

All the first-year setter could think of was "fuck no," before another weight was added on top of him, this time being Tanaka. Now the pain was really becoming unbearable, his chest felt constricted of air and there was an overwhelming sense of wanting to puke without thinking of the consequences. He really hoped his angel guardian would come save him before things got any worse.

"Come on everyone, get off already, you're crushing Kageyama."

His angel guardian being Daichi who was like the father of the team and knowing when thing went too far. Thank you papa-Daichi.

Giving a sigh of relief Kageyama felt the weight slowly disperse until only fresh air hit his back. Getting up from the floor he tried to act as normal as possible without giving away the pain that throbbed in his back. He really didn't want his family to find out about the bruise or anything having to do with his home life. It was to keep it a secret than to worry the only people he truly cared about.

He adjusted himself into a straight posture, almost noticing Sugawara eyeing him but turning the other direction as soon as possible.

"I think we should get going, it's getting late and I have to get home early today," announced Asahi.

"Aw! Already! I wanted to watch another movie," whined Hinata.

"You couldn't even make it through one, what makes you think you'll make it through another," said Kageyama.

Hinata stuck out his tongue at him with Kageyama following suit.

"Well Kageyama still needs to recover a bit, we don't want him to suddenly getting sick," stated Daichi.

Nodding along with their captain everyone gathered their things and cleaned up the living room from all the popcorn. They helped Kageyama clean a couple of the bowls before heading out.

"See ya Kageyama, you better get better or else!" shouted Hinata as he sprinted out of the setter's house.

The raven huffed and answered with an "ossu!"

Today was a really good day for him. Nothing bad had happened so far and he had a lot of fun watching a movie with his was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. He is proud to be a part of Karasuno's volleyball team and hopes to always be together with them. Even if the pain continues he does it for them and that's all that matters. They can never know, never ever ever-

"Kageyama?"

The raven turned around to spot Sugawara standing at his front door with a serious look on his face.

"Yes?"

"Show me your back."

They can never know.

* * *

**Thoughts so far?**


End file.
